The Tenth Anniversary
by eliana-moran
Summary: Every year Ginevra goes to a ball to be honored as one of only four survivors of the final battle. This is the tenth year and she cannot take anymore. Will anyone understand that she wishes to mourn, not to celebrate?


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A/N this is a one shot that i dreamed up last night. this is it and it will never continue

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"Come on Gin, it's time." Neville gently touched Ginevra on the shoulder to get her attention. She was standing out on the balcony staring into the night before her trying to forget the lights and sounds of the ball behind her. She nodded slowly and followed him back into the ballroom that was swirling with color and people. 

She stood there between Neville and Draco malfoy, waiting for the speach to end. "...the only survivors of that terrible battle: Luna and Neville Longbottom, Ginevra Weasley, and Draco Malfoy." The hall errupted into the applause and cheering. The four of them all bowed respectfully and Neville stepped forward to make his annual speach about not forgetting the dead and honoring their memory. After that the music began, the dance floor cleared, and she felt herself being led out onto it by Draco.

This was the only time in the course of the year that she ever saw the man and every year they danced the spotlight dance with the Longbottoms, the victory dance with every veteran of the war that had survived and been elsewhere during the final battle, and the freedom dance with everyone present. This year, for some reason she could not fathom, he held onto her for a fourth dance. She didn't mind, not really, if she was dancing with him she wasn't talking to anyone.

Suddenly she stopped dancing and Draco nearly fell. She was staring behind him, tears welling in her eyes, and she had covered her mouth with her hand. He followed her gaze and saw Mr. Lovegood shaking Neville's hand exuberantly and then hugging his daughter exitedly, all three had the biggest, sillyest grins on their faces. When he turned back to Ginevra she was running back out to the balcony.

By the time he reached the open glass doors with their white curtains billowing in the wind, she had collapsed onto her knees by the railing. He stood there, not sure what to do.

"Why do they do this to me? Why do they bring me here every year? Why do they make me celebrate a day I wish to mourn? Why do they make me smile when I want to cry? Why do they make me dance when I want to sleep? Why do they take my picture when I want to hide?" She looked up at him with a tear stained face.

"I lost everything! I lost everyone in one day! This day! And they bring me here and parade me before the world as a hero who helped win the war. I didn't win! I lost! Why can't they understand that? Why can't they understand that?" Her voice was trailing away and he had to move closer to understand her. She turned her face back out to the night.

"We were married, you know, for a month. My family were the only ones we told. I was pregnant during the last battle." He wiped his face with his hand. That was why she had run out here, seeing Luna announce her pregnancy. He had wondered why this year was suddenly worse than ever. "I didn't even lose the child in the fight. The healers said it was the stress and anxiety of losing everyone. That doesn't seem right. Because I lose everyone I love I lose one more? I should have a ten year old son with me tonight."

She leaned up against the railing and looked down at her hands. "Why do they make me celebrate when I need to mourn? You don't have to stay here. You don't have to listen to me. You don't have to be here for me. I'm not even your friend. There is no obligation."

He looked down at her and remembered when he had seen her on the battlefield, all fire and fury and strength. It was a sharp contrast to how she sat now, so small and vulnerable. He bent down, wrapped one arm around her and grabbed her shoulders. He pulled her to her feet. "Come on." He walked her straight through the ballroom, ignoring everyone. With a flick of his wand the lens in every camera was broken and before they could repair them he and Ginevra were gone.

Once out on the street he turned his face to hers. "Where do you live?"

"You don't have to do this." She said again, turning away from him.

He raised an eyebrow and let go of her. She sunk back to the ground. He hailed a cab. "I don't, don't I? Well, I'm not going to leave you sitting on the street. Come on, into the cab." He picked her up and helped her into the car. She leaned her head against the glass of her window and when he got in the other side he sighed and reached across to buckle her seatbelt for her. He gave the drive an address.

"Where are we going?" She didn't sound as if she cared.

"You wouldn't tell me where you live so we're going to my flat." She didn't respond.

"I do this every year, you know. You just haven't noticed." Her voice was so distant. He was afraid she was going into shock.

"I have noticed, and it's never been this bad." He was studying her critically when she pulled her face away from the window, seemingly with effort.

"Why..."

"I've never been much of one to celebrate death either. Beside, I prefer to stay on the edge of crowds and observe rather than participate. How could I not notice? Forgive the expression but you're a bit of a black hole at these things. The lights and the music and the laughter never get anywhere near you and you always spend as much time out on the balcony as possible and leave as soon and Neville will let you. It seems you were the one who wasn't paying attention." He was trying to draw her into a conversation, anything to keep her from drifting off again.

"No, I noticed. It helped, not to be alone. I just never figured I was worth observing." She turned back to her window.

"Because I'm a Malfoy?" He tried to sound offended but he was too concerned with her to really care just now.

"No, because no one else noticed and those who did never cared to understand." Her tears were beginning to fall again. He had nothing to say that. He tried to come up with something to keep her talking, but what did you say to that?

When the cab stopped he got out and paid the driver through his window. "She gettin' out 'ere or 'm I takin' some place else?" The driver indicating the lady sitting in the back seat.

"She's getting out here." Draco walked around to her side of the car, opened the door, unbuckled her seat belt, and pulled her out. He looked over at her, trying to decide whether or not it was safe to let go and simply lead her by the arm or if she still needed full support. Just then a mother and her son exited his apartment building. He groaned inwardly and was ready to catch Ginevra as she collapsed in his arms, no longer able to help him in the least bit.

"My son..." He heard her whisper. He picked her up, placing on arm behind her knees and one around her back. She laid her head on his shoulder and held rested on hand on his chest.

He carried her up to his flat and into his bedroom, placing her on the bed. He looked at her for a moment before transfiguring her ball gown into a night gown. He smiled slightly, pleased with himself for making her comfortable without any awkwardness. He turned to leave, prepared to sleep on the couch, when she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Please don't leave me alone. I'm sorry I've never told you this before and I'm sorry I never ask if I could but I've used your strength to get through every single ball to date, all nine of them. I've used your touch as we dance to hold myself together, to keep from falling apart. I've used your warmth and your heartbeat to steady my nerves and hold back the tears. I need you. Please hold me tonight. Please make everything go away just for tonight. In the morning I'll be all right and I'll leave, and next year I won't go to the ball at all, but I need you tonight." She looked so desperate, so pitiful, lying there in his bed, begging for his comfort.

He walked around the bed and lied down behind her, wrapping an arm over her and pulling her close to him. "Next year neither of us are going to the ball. The only reason I never walked out, the only reason I kept going back, was because you needed me there. Next year we will go away where they barely know that the war took place and we will honor the dead the way they should be honored, with tears and mourning, with gratitude for their sacrifice but with honesty regarding ours, and I will hold you and we will make it through together."

She snuggled as deeply into him as she could and he held her as tightly as he could and that is how they fell asleep.


End file.
